56th  Congress,  )  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  j  Document 
1st  Session.     J  (   No.  393. 


EXAMINATION  AND  SURVEY  OF  ARTHUR  KILL,  OR 
STATEN  ISLAND  SOUND,  NEW  YORK  AND  NEW  JERSEY. 


LETTER 

FROM 

THE  SECRETARY  OF  WAR, 

TRANSMITTING, 

WITH  A  LETTER  FROM  THE  CHIEF  OF  ENGINEERS,  REPORTS  OF 
EXAMINATION  AND  SURVEY  OF  ARTHUR  KILL,  OR  STATEN 
ISLAND  SOUND,  NEW  YORK  AND  NEW  JERSEY. 


February  5,  1900. — Referred  to  the  Committee  on  Rivers  and  Harbors  and  ordered 
,  to  be  printed. 


. 9  War  Department, 

Washington,  February  3,  1900. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  a  letter  from  the  Chief 
of  Engineers,  United  States  Army,  dated  February  2,  1900,  together 
with  copies  of  reports  from  Col.  J.  W.  Barlow,  Corps  of  Engineers, 
dated  May  2, 1899,  and  January  25, 1900,  the  former  of  a  preliminary 
examination  and  the  latter  of  a  survey  of  Arthur  Kill,  or  Staten  Island 
Sound,  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  from  Kill  van  Kull  to  Raritan 
Bay,  made  by  him  in  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  the  river  and 
harbor  act  of  March  3,  1899. 

Very  respectfully,  Elihu  Root, 

St  cretary  of  War. 
The  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 


Office  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers, 

United  States  Army, 
Washington,  February  2,  1900. 
Sir:    I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  accompanying  copies  of  reports, 
dated  May  2,  1899,  and  January  25,  1900,  with  map  in  three  sheets,  by 
Col.  J.  W.  Barlow,  Corps  of  Engineers,  giving  the  results  of  pre- 
H.  Doc.  87  1 


2         AHTHUR  KILL,  OR  STATEN  ISLAND  SOUND,  NE^  YORK. 


liminary  examination  and  survey,  respectively,  of  Arthur  Kill,  or 
St;it rn  Island  Sound,  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  from  Kill  van  Kull 
to  Raritan  Bay,  made  under  the  provisions  of  the  river  and  harbor  act 
of  March  3, 1899,  with  a  view  to  obtaining  a  21-foot  channel,  by  way 
of  Staten  Island  Sound,  from  New  York  Bay  to  Raritan  Bay. 

This  waterway  has  been  under  improvement  by  the  General  Gov- 
ernment since  1874,  the  present  project  providing  for  the  securing  of 
a  channel  400  feet  wide  and  14  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water. 

The  project  now  presented  contemplates  securing,  by  dredging  and 
diking,  a  channel  21  feet  deep  from  Kill  van  Kull  to  Raritan  Bay. 
with  a  width  of  300  feet,  except  at  the  sharpest  turns,  where  the  width 
is  increased  to  400  feet.  The  work  proposed  is  estimated  to  cost 
8696,000,  and  $5,000  additional  annually  for  maintenance. 

In  the  opinion  of  Colonel  Barlow  the  cost  of  the  proposed  improve- 
ment is  reasonable  when  compared  with  the  benefits  to  accrue  and 
their  lasting  character,  and  he  is  further  of  opinion  that  the  project 
is  one  worthy  of  being  undertaken  by  the  United  States. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant. 

John  M.  Wilson, 
Brig,  Gen,.,  Chief  of  Engineers, 

U.  &  Army. 

Hon.  Elihu  Root, 

Secretary  of  ^Yar. 


PRELIMINARY  EXAMINATION  OF  ARTHUR  KTLL,  OR  STATEN  ISLAND 
SOUND,  NEW  YORK  AND  NEW  JERSEY,  FROM  KILL  VAN  KULL  TO 
RARITAN  BAY,  WITH  A  VIEW  TO  OBTAINING  A  21-FOOT  CHANNEL, 
BY  WAY  OF  STATEN  ISLAND  SOUND,  FROM  NEW  YORK  BAY  TO 
RARITAN  BAY. 

United  States  Engineer  Office, 

New  York  City,  May  2, 1899. 
General:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  a  pre- 
liminary examination  of  "Arthur  Kill,  or  Staten  Island  Sound,  from 
Kill  van  Kull  to  Raritan  Bay,  with  a  view  to  obtaining  of  a  21-foot 
channel,  by  wa}T  of  Staten  Island  Sound,  from  New  York  Bay  to 
Raritan  Ba}T,"  made  in  compliance  with  section  22  of  the  river  and 
harbor  act  of  March  3,  1899,  and  pursuant  to  Department  letter  of 
April  14,  1899. 

This  waterway  fornix  part  of  an  important  and  much  used  line  of 
communication  between  New  York  Harbor  and  Raritan  Bay.  It  is 
also  a  link  in  the  chain  of  inland  navigation  between  the  Passaic  and 
Hackensack  rivers  through  Newark  Bay  on  the  north  and  the  Raritan 
River,  the  Delaware  and  Raritan  Canal  to  Philadelphia  on  the  south. 
It  has  been  long  recognized  by  Congress  as  worthy  of  improvement 
by  the  General  Government,  an  aggregate  of  $232,970.31  having  been 
expended  upon  its  improvement. 

The  present  commerce,  which  is  said  to  be  increasing,  amounts 
annually  to  9,000,000  tons,  consisting  of  oil,  coal,  and  miscellaneous 
freights  received  from  various  railways;  brick,  ckty,  and  fertilizers 
from  the  country  adjacent  to  the  several  water  courses  which  are  its 
natural  tributaries. 

The  original  depth  at  mean  low  water  was  15  feet  and  upward, 
except  at  its  northern  end,  where  it  joins  Newark  Bay.    Here  a  shoal. 


ARTHUR  KILL,  OR  STATEN  ISLAND  SOUND,  NEW  YORK.  3 


having  a  channel  with  but  9i  feet  depth  through  a  tortuous  channel, 
existed.  This  part  of  the  channel  has  been  repeatedly  dredged  to  14 
feet,  but  owing  to  the  peculiar  effect  of  the  tides,  which  flow  in  from 
both  directions  and  sweep  over  the  broad  shoal  area  of  Newark  Bay 
to  the  north  and  west,  the  excavated  channel  soon  becomes  again 
obstructed.  Several  projects  looking  to  dike  protection  have  been 
considered,  but  with  the  exception  of  the  construction  of  one  dike  on 
the  south  of  the  dredged  channel  2,237  feet  long,  none  of  these 
projects  have  been  carried  out. 

Navigation  interests  now  desire  that  a  depth  of  21  feet  and  sufficient 
width  for  navigation  be  provided  through  the  entire  length  of  this 
waterway.  This  length  is  about  15  miles,  of  which  there  is  now  a 
depth  of  21  feet  or  more  for  a  distance  of  about  9  miles.  The  remain- 
ing distance  of  6  miles  will  require  dredging,  the  depth  of  cutting 
being  from  0  to  T  feet.  An  additional  dike  will  probably  be  required 
north  of  the  proposed  excavation  at  Newark  Bay,  and  another  to  con- 
tract the  channel  at  Story  Flats.  A  low  cut-off  dike  might  be  advisa- 
ble behind  Pralls  Island. 

The  project  as  outlined  is  considered  worth}',  and  to  ascertain  the 
amount  and  location  of  the  dredging  and  dikes  required  a  survey  is 
recommended,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $1,500.  As  no  complete  survey 
of  this  water  course  has  ever  been  made,  it  is  desirable  that  the  pres- 
ent one  be  carried  out  in  considerable  detail. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  W.  Barlow, 
Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers. 

Brig.  Gen.  John  M.  Wilson, 

Chief  of  Engineers,  TJ.  S.  A. 


9 

[First  indorsement.] 

Office  Chief  of  Engineers, 

U.  S.  Army, 
August  U,  1899. 

Respectfully  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  War. 
In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  river  and  harbor  act  of 
March  3,  1899,  a  preliminary  examination  has  been  made  of  Arthur 
Kill,  or  Staten  Island  Sound,  from  Kill  van  Kull  to  Raritan  Bay  (full 
text  of  item  quoted  within),  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 

The  locality  is  reported  to  be  worthy  of  improvement,  and  I  recom- 
mend that  a  survey  be  made  and  the  costof  improvement  be  estimated. 

A.  Mackenzie. 
Act  in  g  Chief  o f  Engineers, 

War  Department, 

August  15,  1899. 
Approved  as  recommended  by  the  Acting  Chief  of  Engineers. 
By  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War: 

John  C.  Scofield. 

Chief Clerk 


4        ARTHUR  KILL,  OR  STATEN  ISLAND  SOUND,  NEW  YORK. 


SURVEY  OF  ARTHUR  KILL,  OR  STATEN  ISLAND  SOUND,  NEW  YORK 
AND  NEW  JERSEY,  FROM  KILL  VAN  KULL  TO  RARITAN  BAY",  WITH 
A  VIEW  TO  OBTAINING  A  21-FOOT  CHANNEL,  BY  WAY  OF  STATEN 
ISLAND  SOUND,  FROM  NEW  YORK  BAY  TO  RARITAN  BAY. 

United  States  Engineer  Office, 

New  York  City,  January  25,  1900. 

General:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  a  survey 
and  estimate  of  cost  of  improving  "Arthur  Kill,  or  Staten  Island  Sound, 
from  Kill  van  Kull  to  Raritan  Bay,  with  a  view  to  obtaining  of  a  21-foot 
channel,  by  way  of  Staten  Island  Sound,  from  New  York  Bay  to  Raritan 
Bay,"  made  in  compliance  with  section  22  of  the  river  and  harbor  act 
of  March  3, 1899,  and  pursuant  to  Department  letter  of  August  11, 1899, 
together  with  a  map  of  the  survey  in  three  sheets. 

The  report  on  the  preliminary  examination  of  this  locality  was  sub- 
mitted on  May  2,  1899,  to  which  attention  is  invited. 

The  survey  was  made  between  September  5  and  October  24  by  Mr. 
C.  S.  Kelsey,  assistant  engineer,  whose  report  is  transmitted  herewith. 

The  project  proposed  for  this  improvement  consists  in  securing  a 
21-foot  channel,  300  feet  wide  (except  at  the  sharpest  of  the  turns, 
where  it  has  been  increased  to  400  feet),  from  Kill  van  Kull  to  Raritan 
Bay.  The  limits  of  the  proposed  channel  are  shown  on  the  maps  of  the 
survey. 

This  project  provides  a  channel  equal  in  dimensions  to  that  now  be- 
ing made,  and  nearly  attained,  through  Raritan  Bay,  which  connects 
the  southern  entrance  of  the  Arthur  Kill  with  Lower  New  York  Bay. 
The  channel  through  Kill  van  Kull,  which  connects  the  northern 
entrance  of  the  Arthur  Kill  with  Upper  New  York  Bay,  has  a  channel 
depth  nowhere  less  than  25  feet. 

In  addition  to  excavating  the  channel,  it  is  proposed  to  construct  a 
dike  at  Shooters  Island  so  as  to  direct  a  part  of  the  ebb  from  Newark 
Bay  into  the  entrance  of  the  Arthur  Kill,  and  to  cut  off  the  cross  tides 
over  the  dredged  channel.  This  dike  will  be  of  great  benefit  to  that 
section  of  Elizabethport  directly  below  the  railroad  bridge  over  NewT- 
ark  Bay.  A  second  dike  is  proposed  at  Story  Flats,  near  Seawaren, 
to  contract  the  cross  section  of  the  waterway,  in  case  this  is  found  nec- 
essary to  maintain  the  channel  depth.  An  estimate  of  cost  is  given  at 
the  close  of  this  report. 

The  survey  has  afforded  the  following  information  in  relation  to  the 
merits  of  the  project.  The  greatest  obstruction  to  navigation  in  the 
Arthur  Kill  lies  directly  at  its  entrance  from  the  north  and  east.  Upon 
the  opening  of  the  proposed  channel  through  this  entrance  there  would 
be  immediately  available  a  depth  of  not  less  than  18  feet  along  the 
entire  water  front  of  Elizabethport  and  Bayway,  with  a  dock  frontage, 
improved  at  the  present  time  for  a  length  of  13,000  feet,  and  occupied 
by  coal-shipping  terminals,  shipyards,  and  great  manufacturing  indus- 
tries. 

Communication  with  the  Arthur  Kill  from  the  south  is  obstructed 
at  Stoiy  Flats,  15  miles  from  the  southern  entrance.  If  the  proposed 
depth  of  21  feet  be  secured  across  this  shoal,  the  increased  depth  will 
be  available  without  further  improvement  for  an  additional  distance  of 
'2  miles  of  deep-water  frontage,  as  far  as  the  Fresh  Kills,  now  par- 
tially occupied  by  coal-shipping  terminals  and  extensive  manufactures. 


ARTHUR  KILL,  OR  STATED  ISLAND  SOUND,  NEW  YORK.  5 


Between  the  Fresh  Kills  and  Pralls  Island  there  are  a  number  of 
shoals,  separated  by  pools  of  deep  water.  The  removal  of  each  shoal, 
as  the  work  progresses,  will  make  the  full  depth  of  the  project  avail- 
able along  the  property  fronting  the  next  pool  above.  The  attainment 
of  the  entire  project  would  be  equivalent  to  adding  20  miles  of  (hep- 
water  frontage  to  the  waters  of  New  York  Harbor,  lying  half  within 
the  State  of  New  Jersey  and  half  within  the  State  of  New  York  and 
city  of  Greater  New  York.  It  would  give  the  central  portion  of  the 
Arthur  Kill,  now  comparatively  cheap  property,  the  facilities  of  New 
York  Harbor  water-front  property,  and  must  stimulate  the  growth 
of  the  present  great  industries  and  attract  other  works,  with  a  corre- 
sponding increase  to  the  taxable  values  of  the  States  and  municipalities 
in  which  they  lie. 

An  additional  reason  for  improving  this  important  waterway  is  that 
it  will  afford  a  protected  inland  route  from  Perth  Amboy  and  South 
Amboy  to  Upper  New  York  Bay.  thereby  providing  uninterrupted 
communication  during  stormy  weather  when  the  navigation  of  Raritan 
Bay  and  Lower  New  York  Bay  is  extremely  hazardous. 

Under  the  present  project,  which  is  for  a  14-foot  channel,  foreign 
commerce  is  excluded  from  the  northerly  10  miles  of  the  Arthur  Kill. 
The  coastwise  traffic  is  excluded  to  an  extent  increasing  with  the  pres- 
ent tendency  to  build  vessels  and  barges  of  greater  size  and  draft.  A 
depth  of  21  feet  at  mean  low  water,  or  about  26  feet  at  mean  high 
water,  would  admit  all  but  the  largest  of  vessels. 

It  is  believed  that  the  proposed  improvement  is  of  a  permanent 
nature,  and  will  require  only  a  small  expenditure  for  maintenance,  as 
there  are  no  considerable  silt-bearing  tributaries,  the  shoals  are  not 
sedimentary  deposits,  and  there  are  no  shifting  sand  bars.  These 
favorable  conditions  do  not  prevail  at  any  of  the  improvements  pro- 
posed or  adopted  in  this  district,  or  probably  in  this  vicinity. 

The  cost  of  the  Improvement,  in  comparison  with  the  benefits  to  accrue 
and  their  lasting  character,  is  reasonable,  and  the  opinion  expressed  in 
the  report  upon  the  preliminary  examination,  that  the  project  was  a 
worthy  one,  is  adhered  to  after  this  more  detailed  investigation. 

Estimate  of  cost. 

To  provide  a  channel  from  the  Kill  van  Kull  to  Raritan  Bay,  300  feet  wide 


and  21  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water: 

Dredging,  3,766,150  cubic  yards,  at  an  average  rate  of  about  14  cents. . .  §523,  243 

Rock  removal,  24,000  cubic  yards,  at  $2    48, 000 

Diking,  82,000  linear  feet   55,  200 

Engineering  and  contingencies,  about  10  per  cent   69,  557 


Total   696,  000 

Annual  cost  of  maintenance   5,  000 


Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  W.  Barlow, 

Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers. 

Brig.  Gen.  John  M.  Wilson, 

Chief  of  Engineers.  U.  S.  A. 


6        ARTHUR  KILL,  OR  STATEN  ISLAND  SOUND,  NEW  YORK. 


REPORT  OF  MR.   C.   S.   KELSEY,   ASSISTANT  ENGINEER. 

New  York,  N.  Y.,  January  24,  1900. 

Colonel:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  upon  a  survey  of  the 
Arthur  Kill,  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  made  in  compliance  with  your  verbal 
orders  of  August  21,  1899: 

A  survey  party  was  organized,  sounding  boat  and  steam  launch  hired,  and  the 
field  work  of  the'  survey  commenced  September  5.  An  exact  system  of  triangula- 
tion,  comprising  about  sixty  stations,  was  established  to  cover  the  area  under  survey. 
Half  of  the  primary  stations  were  referenced.  The  field  party  was  provided  with 
sketches  of  stations  used  on  the  United  States  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  and  on  the 
survey  of  the  New  York  Harbor  Line  Board.  Points  that  were  identified  were  con- 
nected with  this  survey.  Prominent  natural  objects  on  each  shore  were  located. 
Light  portable  platforms  were  designed  and  employed  for  elevating  the  instrument 
and  observer  at  stations  on  the  marsh,  reducing  the  number  of  observation  stations 
required.  Base  lines  were  measured  at  the  northern  limit  of  the  survey  and 
midway;  at  the  southern  limit,  connection  was  made  with  known  points  of  earlier 
surveys.    Docks  and  important  shore  line  were  located. 

The  plane  of  mean  low  water  had  been  determined  by  the  United  States  engineers, 
both  at  the  northern  and  southern  entrance  to  the  kills.  It  is  substantially  the  same 
plane,  and  was  transferred  to  three  intermediate  gauges  by  simultaneous  tidal  observa- 
tions, averaging  the  slopes  of  slack  current  occurring  after  both  high  and  low  water 
stand.  The  bed  of  the  waterway  was  developed  by  over  5,000  soundings,  taken 
mainly  in  cross  sections.  Borings  were  made  to  determine  the  character  of  the 
material  to  be  excavated.  The  boring  arrangement  was  designed  so  as  to  enable 
samples  to  be  taken  at  the  various  penetrations  obtained.  It  was  operated  by  the 
survey  party  from  the  steam  launch,  using  the  pump  of  the  launch  to  drive  the  jet 
pipe.  The  office  work  of  platting  and  mapping,  the  study  of  a  project,  and  the 
calculation  of  quantities  and  estimates,  has  been  prosecuted  as  rapidly  as  the  other 
duties  of  the  office  force  would  permit. 

The  map  which  is  submitted  with  this  report  shows  the  line  of  the  proposed 
channel  from  the  Kill  van  Kull  to  Raritan  Bay,  21  feet  deep  and  300  feet  wide, 
increased  to  400  feet  around  two  sharp  turns.  A  marked  deviation  from  the  present 
channel  line  was  made  between  Shooters  Island  and  Elizabethport.  It  is  proposed 
to  abandon  the  present  channel  at  this  locality,  which  has  been  under  improvement 
by  the  United  States,  and  take  a  more  direct  course  south  of  the  Corner  Stake  Light, 
The  change  of  the  direction  in  the  present  channel  of  about  90°  within  a  distance 
of  1,000  feet  is  not  feasible  for  a  ship  channel,  and  the  position  is  most  unfavorable 
for  maintenance.  The  proposed  line  is  more  favorably  located  with  reference  to  the 
underlying  ledge  rock  and  the  course  drift  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Corner  Stake  Light. 
It  has  advantages  over  a  line  running  north  of  Shooters  Island,  both  in  amount  of 
excavation,  character  of  the  material,  facility  to  navigation,  and  ease  of  maintenance. 

The  length  of  the  channel  that  will  require  dredging  for  the  full  width  of  300  feet 
is  about  6  miles.  Dredging  for  partial  widths  will  be  required  for  an  additional  dis- 
tance of  3  miles.  The  total  amount  of  excavation  is  estimated  at  3,790,150  cubic  yards, 
based  on  allowance  for  side  slopes,  three  horizontal  to  one  vertical;  for  overdepth  of 
one  foot  in  dredging,  and  25  per  cent  increase  for  scow  measurement.  In  the  esti- 
mate of  cost  the  unit  rates  assumed  were  determined  with  due  reference  to  class  of 
material,  depth  of  cutting,  amount  and  location  of  the  work.  A  dike  is  provided 
west  of  Shooters  Island  to  protect  the  channel  from  the  cross  tides  on  the  Newark 
Bay  Flats.  A  dike  is  provided  also  to  contract  the  cross  section  at  Seawaren.  The 
latter  may  not  prove  a  necessity,  as  the  deep  pool  through  the  middle  of  the  reach  is 
an  indication  that  the  shoals  above  and  below  the  pool  are  not  due  to  deposits  caused 
by  the  enlarged  cross  section,  but  are  a  compact  formation  that  have  resisted  erosion. 

The  estimate  is  based  on  the  present  system  of  towing  dredged  material  to  the 
public  dumping  grounds  at  sea.  Should  the  Sandy  Hook  Light-ship  be  designated  as 
the  public  dumping  ground,  as  now  proposed  by  the  supervisor,  it  would  probably 
result  in  the  use  of  a  large  amount  of  the  excavated  material  from  the  Arthur  Kill 
in  reclaiming  marsh  land  along  the  shores.  The  estimate  is  believed  to  be  ample  to 
cover  the  cost  of  the  work  under  these  conditions.  Shale  rock  and  heavy  material 
may  be  utilized  in  filling  the  dike  at  Shooters  Island  and  in  constructing  the  dike  at 
Seawaren. 


ARTHUR  KILL,  OR  STAT  EN  ISLAND  SOUND,  NEW  YORK.  7 


Estimate  for  a  channel  through  the  Arthur  Kill,  from  Kill  Van  Kull  to  Raritan  Bay,  21 
feet  deep  at  mean  low  u-ater  and  300  feet  wide. 


Dredging: 

445,000  cubic  yards,  at  8  cents   $35,  600 

1,333,350  cubic  yards,  at  12  cents   160,  002 

1,508,150  cubic  yards,  at  16  cents   241,  304 

479,650  cubic  yards,  at  18  cents   86,  337 

Rock  removal,  24,000  cubic  yards,  at  £2   48,  000 

Diking,  82,000  linear  feet   55,  200 

Total   626,443 

Engineering  and  contingencies,  about  10  per  cent   69,  557 


Total   696,000 

Annual  cost  of  maintenance  is  estimated  at   5,  000 


The  physical  characteristics  are  most  favorable  for  maintenance,  except  across  the 
Newark  Bay  Flats.  Through  the  Arthur  Kill  proper  both  the  ebb  and  flood  cur- 
rents are  strong.  The  shoals  are  not  sedimentary  deposits,  but  glacial  drift  forma- 
tions that  have  resisted  erosion,  while  the  lighter  material  has  been  scouring  away 
and  the  deep  pools  forming  between  the  shoals.  There  are  no  silt-bearing  streams 
of  any  magnitude  emptying  into  the  kills,  and  no  shifting  sand  bars.  The  dike  pro- 
posed at  Shooters  Island  is  expected  to  reduce  the  shoaling  in  the  channel  from 
Shooters  Island  to  Elizabethport  to  a  small  amount. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

C.  S.  Kelsey, 

Assistant  Engineer. 

Col.  J.  W.  Barlow, 

Corps  of  Engineers. 


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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


http://archive.org/details/letterfromsecretOOroot 


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